How To Masse In Pool

It's not just the novice players but also intermediate sharks who might want to know how to masse in pool. Officially known as "billiards" or "pocket billiards," pool is a cue ball game played atop a wooden table with a felt top. There are many cue sports in pool, but the most common in the United States are Eight-Ball and Nine-Ball. Those who can masse in pool can impress their friends, so why not learn how?

You'll have to have these things before learning to masse in pool:

Cue ball

Set of pool balls

Pool table

Pool cue (around 58.5 inches)

Understand what a masse shot is. A masse in pool is usually used as a desperation effort or trick shot. To be specific, a masse is a shot taken with the cue at almost 90 degrees (vertical). The ball does not respond normally, and usually spins in an unpredictable manner. That being said, many pros who master its usage can shoot it with near-perfect prediction.

Set up the pool balls. You won't need too many, but it's important to lay down as many pool balls as you have so as to simulate real-life obstacles in billiards. You need to have the cue ball next to your obstacle ball, nearly touching so as to make a horizontal approach impossible. Place your target ball on the other side of the obstacle ball. Put the eight-ball close to a pocket; this will force you to be careful.

Position your cue. You will have to stand up near straight and hold the cue vertical. Get ready to hit the ball off-center to make it twist and roll around in order to hit the target ball. Obviously, this won't happen on the first try, but position yourself seriously as if it were to happen.

Take the shot. It won't be pretty, but tip the ball off-center so that it will spin counter-clockwise around the obstacle ball and toward the target ball. A common mistake many novice and intermediate players make is that they strike the ball much too hard. The masse is a delicate shot in pool, and it requires but a mere push. Most of the force in your shot will be the physics of it. If you are lucky, the ball will spin in the direction of your target ball.

The masse in pool is quite difficult, but practice does make perfect in billiards. Your shots might not be on target, but try to get the spin down in pool first before attempting to coordinate the direction. Once your strike is off-center perfectly, the ball will swirl appropriately. Good luck, fellow pool shark.